Mending a Rigid Spirit
by orangana
Summary: Things never work out the way Gajeel hopes they will. His current heartache is a testament to that belief. The bitter and distrustful man became even more so after the unexpected events that led to the end of his last relationship. Can he learn to forgive and love again or will he keep his heart locked behind iron bars forever?
1. Chapter 1

**I've been looking forward to posting this all weekend! Just had to give another once-over to make sure there weren't any obvious errors. And... I have to apologize to all the Levy lovers out there for this one. I don't have anything against the girl, the story just played out this way. Though, I never understood why Gajeel and Levy were paired in the manga/anime. Why? From the first time their romantic interest was hinted, I didn't get it. I like Levy and I like Gajeel, just not together. GaLu could have been so beautiful...**

 **Please expect and excuse errors. Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

 **I don't own Fairy Tail.**

Things had been great in the beginning. Though it developed slowly, the normally uncaring man found himself unexpectedly with someone that accepted him and put effort into getting to know him beyond the emotionless exterior he presented the world. It had taken awhile before they were comfortable enough around each other to have much of a conversation. She was painfully shy with men and self conscious while he just didn't give a fuck about people in general. Time together, whether forced or by choice, broke the proverbial ice and they started getting to know each other bit by bit. She asked questions about him and about his past, talked about her own past experiences, and spent time with him almost every day. Gajeel thought he had something real with Levy, especially when she got comfortable enough to invite him into her bed. The slayer knew that was something extremely rare for the blue haired girl and felt honored to have been accepted in such an intimate way.

The Iron Dragon Slayer should have known it wouldn't last, though. Nothing ever works out for him with his shitty luck. Everything went to shit slowly when they returned from their extended stay on Tenrou Island. Everyone in the guild had changed so much, including her two teammates. Droy had obviously changed; anybody with functioning eyes could see that. But it wasn't his change that had an effect on Gajeel's lady. Jet, the guy that had been Levy's first crush and taken her virginity, had become a man. Not only was he a man, but he was in a relationship. His maturity and the fact that he'd quit fawning over his female teammate sparked something in Levy.

Gajeel thought Jet's relationship was a great thing for he and Levy since that would make one less person following around his Shrimp, but he'd been so wrong. The changes had been subtle at first, small things that could easily be explained away as adjusting to life 7 years in the future. Shrimp had started to become distant little by little, her attention lingering on the speed mage a few seconds too long for the slayer's liking. When he confronted her about it, she said it was nothing more than her trying to get used to the way her teammates looked now. He didn't buy it, his senses screaming to him that she was lying, but also didn't question her over it. The two of them had never made their relationship official, so he didn't think he really had a right to.

As the weeks passed by, Shrimp started sitting with her team more often, chatting away with them while leaving Gajeel alone in his corner. Not that he cared about that. He liked being on his own with no one else to worry about, not to mention he'd been expecting it with the way Shrimp had been acting lately. The part that stung was when she came back to him. When Jet was out of the guild, Levy would sit with Gajeel and talk to him or just sit and read – exactly the way things had been before – until Jet walked through those doors. Then Shrimp would be off with her team, suggesting they go on a mission or hang out together to strengthen the bond that had weakened while she'd been away. It didn't take long for Gajeel to realize his Shrimp was just using him to pass the time until Jet became available again.

Though they had started to drift apart, Gajeel and Levy still fucked sometimes. Why would he pass up free, clean pussy? And she did everything the way he preferred. She'd been so inexperienced when they started out that he'd been able to teach her to do things exactly the way he liked them done. But that all stopped the day she sat next to him smelling like Jet. Gajeel wasn't the type to share. Not with anyone. Even sharing his house with Pantherlily had taken awhile to get used to. If she wanted to get with that loser, he wasn't going to try to stop her, but she could have told him before doing it. Did she really think he wouldn't pick up on that? His nose never lied. He had been pissed, feeling more used than ever before. It wasn't the first time a woman had used the dark haired man just for sex, but it was the first time his heart had been involved.

The disappointment reached a new level when, a couple days later, Jet came into the guild smelling like the woman he'd been with since before the lost mages had returned from Tenrou. Gajeel had assumed Jet ditched his woman to be with Levy, just like she ditched him to get with her teammate, but he'd been wrong again. He couldn't believe he'd been so wrong about her character. Blinded by the opportunity to have someone close to him in a way he'd never had them before, he'd missed all the signs pointing to what kind of woman she really was. Disgust didn't begin to describe what he felt when he realized Levy was fucking a man she knew was still in a relationship, not to mention still trying to fuck him.

Barely able to stand being around her without talking shit, Gajeel had stayed away from the guild, taking solo missions with just Pantherlily as back up. The missions were shit mostly, with all the hard stuff going to other guilds now that Fairy Tail had become a joke, but it didn't matter to the slayer. He just needed to stay away from Magnolia and the blue haired girl who had crushed his heart.

Eventually, the Grand Magic Games came and went. He couldn't avoid the idiots in his guild while they were all stuck in Crocus, but he didn't have to hang out with any of them. Creating a diversion where he could hide in plain sight was easy enough with Salamander around. When they were all trapped in a bar 'celebrating' – Gajeel was really just drinking away his misery –, it was easy to start a fight with the flaming idiot that would get rough enough to keep anyone from speaking to him.

Winning at the Games had brought an entirely new set of problems. All these damn newcomers always trying to join Fiore's strongest guild. Their show during the games and against the dragons had put Fairy Tail in the middle of every news paper, magazine, and gossip circle. The guild's popularity was greater than ever before, bringing with it an increased interest for mages of every level. Very few of the new mages were anything to more than kids playing with magic they didn't understand, but pops didn't care. The old man accepted anyone and everyone that wanted to join. He just loved having more 'children'.

Gajeel scoffed at the latest additions leaving the master's office as he lifted his mug to take another long swallow of beer. The idiots were over confident and would, hopefully, get killed on their first mission. Maybe a few deaths on jobs would scare off all the new weaklings that had come along.

An odd sight at the guild's entrance made the slayer pause in his drinking to watch. Bunny Girl had just come through the doors much quieter than usual and was now crouching behind a table, peering over the top. She was staring in the direction of the two losers that had just left Makarov's office, who were now flexing their pitiful excuses for biceps to show off their guild stamps.

When the pair turned around at the sound of the guild doors closing, Lucy made a face and ducked lower beneath the table, watching their feet to see the moment they were facing the other way. As soon as their gaze was in another direction, Bunny Girl was weaving her way quickly through the tables. It was an impressive display of agility and ass – the chick's skirt couldn't be more than 6 inches long – with the way she was crouched down, almost waddling like duck. Clearly she was trying to hide from them, but why?

Gajeel looked around for any sign of her teammates, assuming they would be in on her strange behavior in some way, but noticed they were all out. He looked back in time to see Lucy hiding behind another table but not completely out of sight. The newest members of Fairy Tail spotted her and were now making their way over to the frustrated looking woman.

Lucy chewed her lip while frantically looking around the guild for any place she could hide from these weirdos until her eyes landed on Gajeel. When their gazes connected, the dragon slayer thought his ears were going out on him when he heard Bunny Girl whisper a triumphant sounding, "Perfect!"

Standing up from her crouch – there was no point in hiding now anyway – Lucy took off running as fast her legs would carry her until she reached Gajeel's table. "Please help me!"

Big brown eyes were begging him to rescue her, but the situation was so strange that he could only say, "Huh?"

"I'm trying to hide from those guys. I swear they're stalking me! And now they've even joined the guild!" A look over her shoulder told her the two mages in question were only a few seconds away from reaching the table. Without waiting for Gajeel to answer, she squeezed behind him and slid into the bench next to him. Leaning against his arm, the blonde didn't notice the way her breasts pressed against his arm or the way the dark haired man tensed up when she leaned over to whisper in his ear. She just wanted those guys to go away. "Can you make them leave?"

Her question brought Gajeel's sex deprived mind back to reality. Bunny Girl wasn't trying to seduce him, though he probably wouldn't have turned her down if she had been. She was looking for help, which was odd in itself. He couldn't remember a time anyone had ever looked to him to be their savior. Looking at the two annoying mages with a glare that could melt iron, Gajeel managed to make the younger men turn and run before they'd even spoken a word to Bunny Girl.

"What the hell was that about?"

Lucy leaned away from Gajeel to sit up straight, giving the man enough space to find his brain again and calm his dick down. Still clueless to his internal struggle, she explained, "Sorcerer's Weekly released a special on me last week that included a full spread with a few bikini shots. Since the issue released, I've had a new love interest following me around every few days. Those two were more persistent than the others, even telling me they'd be willing to share me and take care of me as their wife. Freaks. That's just gross."

Hearing about two men sharing Lucy brought Gajeel's thoughts back to his own recent heartache, sending his mood spiraling. The sudden mood swing wasn't missed by the blonde. She noticed the way her companion's formerly slouched posture went rigid and how his jaw clenched as if suddenly angry. Assuming this change had nothing to do with her or her weird problem, she asked, "Are you alright?"

Bunny Girl's question irritated him even further. Had Shrimp told Lucy about everything? He wouldn't be able to stand the humiliation if the guild found out he couldn't keep his woman satisfied enough to keep from looking for someone else. He'd be forced to leave the guild and he didn't want that. Not now that he finally felt like this was home. In a cold voice, he answered, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know." Lucy shrugged, trying to find the words to explain what she noticed. "You just kinda look… Well, honestly, you just look like shit."

Gajeel snorted, surprised by her cursing so freely and how accurately she described how he's feeling. "Nah. I'm good."

With another shrug, the blonde said, "Alright, don't tell me. Suit yourself. I'll leave you alone now." The dark haired man got the next shock of the day when she leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek before hopping up from the bench and saying, "Thanks for protecting me from the freaks!"

He knew he was gaping at her as she waltzed over to the bar and ordered a smoothie but he couldn't bring himself to snap out of it. Why the hell had she just kissed him?

Days passed quickly for Gajeel as he tried to spend time in the guild hall more than he had been in recent weeks, though he spent most of that time drinking more than was healthy. His pride wouldn't let him keep hiding from Levy, even if she wasn't making a show of her new thing with Jet. Really, the two didn't even act like they had anything going on. Gajeel only knew because he could smell them on each other. The dragon slayer assumed they were keeping it under wraps. Not that he cared.

It wasn't as hard to sit in the guild when the slayer could easily be entertained by the predicament Bunny Girl found herself in. He'd watched her evade two more men and a teenage girl over the past week and a half, though the girl and one of the men turned out to be nothing more than admirers that wanted a picture and autograph. Her team had been in the guild for those two, but had missed out on the guy who acted like an actual stalker. The dude had even weirded Gajeel out with the way he was watching Bunny Girl like she was some sort of toy he wanted to collect. Lucy hadn't hesitated to run to Gajeel's table when she noticed her team hadn't made it in yet, and had stayed hidden next to him for a good hour until the creep gave up and left. That hour had been the most pleasant hour Gajeel had endured in the company of anyone other than Pantherlily in awhile.

Today was different, though. His patience was being tested by some deity, Gajeel was sure of it. There was no other explanation for why Shrimp would have come to sit by him and try striking up a conversation like the old days. No way in hell was he going to do that. He'd only given her grunts or short answers to her prattling, hoping she'd get the idea and go away. It hadn't worked. So, he resorted to ignoring her entirely and sipping on his beer at a much faster pace than he'd planned to.

In the late afternoon, some relief came in the form of Bunny Girl bursting through the guild doors and running a short ways until she dropped behind a table. Knowing what was coming, Gajeel watched the entrance to see what type of weirdo was following behind her. He continued to ignore Levy when she started eyeing him closely as he watched the blonde's now normal routine. He didn't even bother to answer when she asked what was going on with Lucy when the blonde started waddling between tables. The blue haired girl would know if she'd been around lately and not chasing after her teammate.

Gajeel actually felt a twinge of concern for Lucy when he saw the man coming through the guild's doorway. It was the same creep from a few days ago who had lingered way too long for the slayer's liking. This fucker actually seemed like he might be up to no good. Lucy seemed to feel the same way based on how panicked she looked when she noticed her team's table was completely empty. With a hopeful expression, the blonde looked in Gajeel's direction but was visibly disappointed when she noticed Levy there.

Not missing Bunny Girl's reaction to Shrimp's presence and fairly certain he knew what she thought, Gajeel caught Lucy's eye and tilted his head in invitation. He wasn't going to make Lucy suffer through whatever this creepy fuck had in mind just to keep Levy comfortable. Though he'd never admit it, his heart may have skipped a beat when Lucy face split into a thousand watt smile. It was nice to have that look directed at him.

Still ignoring Shrimp's confused look, Gajeel scooted a little further away from her to make room for Lucy, who understood his intention of sandwiching her between them, but assumed it was for an entirely different reason. "Thanks you guys! He's really starting to scare me."

Levy didn't waste the chance to get some answers. "What's going on? What did he do?"

While Lucy explained her situation to Levy, Gajeel watched the guy settle in at a booth across the guild that would allow him to easily keep a close watch on the blonde. The slayer didn't like this at all. The guy was too bold, coming into the guild hall like this and eyeing one of their own like he might steal her away at any minute. He was even wearing dark glasses and a trench coat. Who the hell dresses that way and isn't planning something evil? Not to mention he was completely unfazed by Gajeel's glare. Either this guy was insane or crazy powerful. Gajeel was going with insane since he couldn't detect any level of magic from him. He'd have to tell Natsu to keep a better eye on his partner with guys like this sniffing around.

Shrimp's shrill voice brought his attention back to their conversation. "Oh my! That's just crazy! He shouldn't be allowed to follow you around like that! And he was outside your apartment? That's just not right. You should talk to Master Makarov about it."

"I really don't want to bother him, not yet. If the guy shows up again tomorrow, I'll go talk to master about it. But anyway, did you like the latest chapter I gave you? I want to know what you thought about…"

Gajeel tuned out their conversation after that. He'd heard enough about Lucy's writing during his time with Shrimp to know he didn't want to hear whatever it was they were about to talk about. Shrimp had even talked him into reading some of it once. The slayer had never been able to look at the seemingly innocent blonde the same way again. He figured e HHBunny Girl must be some kind of freak to come up with the crazy shit she writes.

Lucy was starting to get a bit fidgety sandwiched between her friends like this. She really wanted to go home and start writing the scene she'd just worked out with Levy, but she'd have to be patient until this guy gave up and left. This uncomfortable tension in the air wasn't helping her patience, though. She didn't know what was going on with these two, but there was clearly an issue between them. Lucy was curious, they seemed like the perfect match and were cute together, but she wasn't going to pry. That was their thing and she would leave them to work it out on their own. The only problem was she didn't feel brave enough to leave her safe haven with that creeper still lurking around. The guy had barely stopped staring at her.

"Why the hell are you squirmin' so much?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you a favor, but I'm not really sure if I should. We aren't really all that close and I know we're nakama and all but I just don't feel right asking." Lucy's nervous tirade was getting on Gajeel's nerves. He was already close to snapping with the way Shrimp kept giving him those pitiful 'pay attention to me' glances. He really needed to get away from her.

"Get to the point already, Bunny Girl."

"Um, would you walk me home?" The slayer only raised an eyebrow to her question. He knew why she didn't want to go alone but why the hell was she asking him? As if she could read his mind, Lucy explained, "I don't know where Erza is. Natsu and Gray are out on a mission, though I don't know why master sent them out without someone to supervise. They'll destroy everything in a 10 miles radius. Anyway, I'd feel bad if I called out one of my spirits just to walk with me. They all have their own lives and none of them, except Aquarius, will tell me if I'm interrupting something. And this is something so small. I don't want – "

"Ok. Let's go."

Lucy didn't have time to be shocked by his abrupt answer. She was too busy scrambling out of her spot on the bench to keep up with Gajeel as he nearly stormed out of the guild. With a quick wave behind her to Levy, the blonde rushed to catch up with her guardian. When they were outside, he slowed down to allow her to catch up, only just realizing he'd nearly left her behind in his haste to get away from Levy.

"Thanks for slowing down. I don't see how you walk so fast."

Gajeel only grunted in response and watched as Lucy pulled out her keys to summon the little snowman spirit he had seen with her a few times. "Thought you didn't want to bother any of them."

With a smile that may have made his heart flutter again, Lucy said, "Plue doesn't really count. He's more than a pet, but not by much. He's definitely one of my friends, though. Isn't that right, Plue?" The blonde cooed as she snuggled the little spirit closer to her chest and nuzzled the side of his round head with her cheek.

When her companion rolled his eyes at her actions, Lucy said, "Oh come on. I've seen you with Pantherlily. I bet when no one is around to see it, you cuddle on him just like this when he's in his cute little form."

He refused to answer her but his blush gave him away. Lucy noticed and laughed, the sound lifting the slayer's spirits just a little bit.

"Oh my stars! You do, don't you?" The blonde nudged Gajeel's arm with her elbow, trying to push him into admitting it. "I bet you two are just too cute curled up together on the couch watching a movie while eating popcorn."

A brilliant idea popped into Lucy's mind on how she could tease the grumpy man and possibly get him to stop frowning. She held Plue out to Gajeel and said, "Here. Why don't you hold him for a minute while we walk? You look like you need a good cuddle."

His deadpan expression made the blonde think he'd turn down the offer, so she was surprised when he accepted Plue from her. He held onto the little spirit a little awkwardly, as if he weren't sure of how to do it, but eventually settled for letting Plue ride on his shoulder while ignoring how tightly the snowman was holding onto his hair. Plue relaxed when he didn't fall down after Gajeel had taken a few steps, and then started chattering in his odd way with a big smile on his face.

"Does he always talk this much?" Gajeel ask without turning to look at the blonde. The little snowman wasn't jerking on his hair as much but hadn't let go, either. He wasn't going to risk scaring the little guy into pulling on it again. There weren't many things worse than getting his hair pulled, in Gajeel's opinion.

"Only when he's happy."

They walked the last few blocks to her house making small talk about Pantherlily, Plue, and any other random things that came to Lucy's mind. She was enjoying talking to the gruff dragon slayer. They hadn't spent much time together, so she didn't know he was this easy to get along with. By the time they were at her front door and she sent Plue back, the blonde felt like they were becoming good friends instead of just guildmates.

"Can you tell if that guy is anywhere nearby?" Lucy asked, appreciating the way Gajeel didn't answer quickly but took the time to close his eyes and scent the air.

When he opened his eyes again, Gajeel shook his head as he answered. "He's not. I heard him leave the guild right after us and head the opposite direction. Must have gave up for the day and headed home."

" Good. That's a huge relief." Without thinking about it, Lucy stepped forward and hugged Gajeel like she would any of her friends. "Thanks for walking me home. You made me feel a lot safer."

Not used to such familiarity, the slayer tensed up at the physical contact, barely registering the blonde's words. He did his best to pat her back like he thought she might expect him to during a hug, and was relieved when she pulled away with a smile as if he'd done the right thing. The dark haired man was still in a bit of a stupor when Lucy said goodbye, barely returning the farewell before she closed her door.

"What a strange woman", he muttered to himself as he turned to head in the direction of his house. In a few hours, Pantherlily should be home from his fishing trip with the other exceeds and then Gajeel could ignore everything that just happened. His partner's presence would make it easier to pretend his mind wasn't replaying every detail of their conversation while supplying vivid memories of the way her body felt against his, or how he could still smell a hint of her scent on his clothes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, followed, and favorited! I've been in a writing frenzy with this one. The ideas are just flowing! Hopefully it stays that way.**

 **Please expect and excuse errors. Leave a review to let me know what you think!**

Gajeel was not worried about Bunny Girl. He definitely hadn't been thinking about her. At all. He's just an observant guy and noticed she hadn't been in the guild lately. It's not unusual to notice people and their absences. The slayer had also noticed her teammates weren't back from their job, yet. He'd overheard Makarov sending out Erza to track them down and drag them back to the guild after destroying an entire forest. Why hadn't he sent Lucy with Erza, though? Was the old man not worried about Bunny Girl not being around?

If she hadn't been dealing with insane, stalker-like fans, Gajeel wouldn't have thought about the blonde once. He was sure of it. And even now, he's not worried her most recent stalker may have done something that's keeping her from showing up at the guild since Gajeel walked her home two days ago. He just doesn't want to deal with a bunch of unhappy guild members if the blonde ends up murdered.

The idea of his Bunny Girl being murdered had the dark haired man up and out the guild doors before he even realized his legs were moving. He'd forgotten about his half full mug of beer sitting at the table, but his quick departure hadn't gone unnoticed by Mira. The she-devil got the odd look in her eyes that always came over her when she found a new ship. Gajeel wasn't the only observant one. She'd noticed how Gajeel watched Lucy and how the blonde seemed to be speaking to him more than ever before. The white haired woman nodded to no one in particular with a dazed smile on her face. She was determined to make her newest ship a reality.

When Gajeel realized he was already standing outside of Lucy's apartment knocking on the door, he wondered if her place had somehow migrated a little closer to the guild. It had taken at least twice as long to get here two days ago. Before his imagination could get completely out of control with images of the blonde lying dead in her apartment, she opened the door.

"Oh, hey Gajeel." Lucy looked pretty shitty, in Gajeel's opinion. He could smell sickness lingering on her and realized his fears had been completely unfounded. Before he could come up with an excuse for being there, she asked, "Is everything alright?"

He had no idea what to say to that. Clearly his mind had been playing tricks on him. Maybe he needed more sleep. Gajeel definitely wasn't going to tell Bunny Girl he'd been worried about her. "I noticed you hadn't come to the guild and wanted to make sure nothing bad had happened."

Well, damn. His mouth and brain weren't on the same page.

He tells himself the smile she gives him, even if its brightness is dimmed by not feeling well, doesn't affect him one bit. "That's sweet of you. You can come in if you want."

Gajeel followed her inside while scolding himself and mentally thanking anyone listening in on his thoughts that she hadn't noticed his blush. He's the Iron Dragon Slayer, damn it. He shouldn't be blushing at all. Definitely not just because she said he was sweet.

"I was about to make myself some tea. Do you want some?"

Assuming his shrug and grunt were a 'yes', Lucy walked over to her kitchen to fill up the teapot.

"What the hell are you sick with?" Gajeel asked as he followed her. He couldn't really let a sick woman make him something without at least offering to help.

"I don't know, but I think it's just a cold. I've been sneezing and coughing like crazy and just feel really tired."

It was quiet while they worked together to pull out cups and add loose leaves to the teapot. When the tea was ready, Gajeel poured the warm liquid through the strainer into both cups, impressing Lucy with his knowledge of preparing the drink. The first time she'd asked Natsu to make tea, he'd brought it to her with leaves floating the cup.

They stood in the kitchen sipping the warm beverage in companionable silence. It wasn't awkward like Lucy expected it to be. They were just two friends silently enjoying a tea together. When she was finished, Lucy said, "The tea has me feeling pretty relaxed again. I think I'm going to sleep for awhile. You can stay, if you want, and watch a movie or something."

Gajeel nodded, accepting her offer and walking over to look at her movie selection while she went to her bedroom. He didn't really want to leave her here all alone. What if she started feeling worse? Her crazy teammates wouldn't be back until at least tomorrow to help her out and he wasn't about to go ask Shrimp to keep an eye on her. Staying would be the right thing to do.

Finding one of his favorite movies, a classic older than him, he started it up and got comfortable on her couch to watch it. During a boring scene, Gajeel looked around the apartment to see what the place was like. It was decorated and homey feeling, even if he wasn't a big fan of pink. There were pictures all over the places of Bunny Girl with her teammates and other members of the guild. One item caught his attention more than the others, but he wasn't sure he was supposed to notice it. The door to the coat closet was open, though. How badly could she really want to hide something in an open closet?

Gajeel wasn't snooping. Definitely not. He just wanted to make sure no stalkers were hiding out in the closet, using it as the perfect way to spy on the blonde. It had nothing to do with what looked like a guitar case hidden towards the back. Upon closer inspection, the slayer deemed the closet free of any intruders but definitely containing one guitar case. That was odd. He never knew Bunny Girl could play. Maybe he'd try bringing it up in conversation, but without mentioning he'd noticed a guitar case while _not_ snooping through her closet.

About an hour into the movie, he heard Lucy's breathing change as she woke up. Before long, she'd joined him on the couch and immediately started laughing after realizing what he was watching. "The Sound of Music? Really, Gajeel? I never would have guessed you'd pick that one. It's one of Natsu's favorite movies."

With his eyes narrowed, he turned to her and grumbled, "Well, what the fuck would you have picked?"

Lucy stood up from the couch and knelt in front of her movie rack until she spotted the one she wanted. "This would be much better."

The slayer was shocked when the opening credits started rolling for one of the most action packed 007 movies ever created. This wasn't something he would have thought Bunny Girl would be into. There was hardly any romance and definitely no girly shit. He wouldn't have believed she actually liked it if he wasn't right here next to her witnessing the way her eyes were glued to the screen.

About halfway through the movie, during a scene with a lot of talking, Gajeel felt Lucy's weight settle against him. She wasn't cuddled up to him or anything, just kind of slumped over in her sleep. From the way she was breathing, she seemed to be pretty out of it and he didn't know if he should move her. Sick people needed their rest. But her breath was pretty nasty, with that weird tangy smell from whatever virus she'd caught. The slayer was considering just pushing her away gently when the blonde shifted to lay her head fully on his shoulder with a hand resting on his forearm. She looked pretty comfortable now, and at least she wasn't breathing in his face anymore. Maybe he'd just let her sleep while he finished watching the movie.

He must have failed his last test of patience, or maybe he passed it and was being tried again by whatever deity was toying with him. Maybe he was being punished for past crimes. That was the most likely answer for this hellish day.

Things had been going well lately. Well, better than they had been. He just returned from a kick ass mission with Pantherlily and thought he would continue to have good days from there on out. They'd bagged three dark mages and gotten more reward money than he'd seen in awhile. Turns out the trio had been terrorizing a small town by hoarding all the crops and selling their livestock. The town offered up a hefty sum to rid themselves of the nuisances.

The slayer had come to the guild today to celebrate a little by having a cold mug of beer, trying Mira's latest iron, and maybe starting a fight with some idiot. Instead, he'd been stuck sitting here listening to Shrimp whine for the last hour. Apparently, she 'missed him' and wished he would talk to her. Gajeel wasn't fooled by her anymore. He couldn't smell a trace of Jet on her, meaning he hadn't touched her in awhile. And now she was trying to talk to Gajeel again? He knew what Levy was up to and he wasn't having anything to do with it.

No matter what anyone thought about him, he wasn't cruel or cold heart. Well, not anymore. He wished he could tell her to just shut the fuck up and go away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. They'd had something good for awhile and he refused to kick her while she was down, even if she hadn't cared much when she did it to him.

"Gajeel, please," Shrimp touched his arm gently and looked up at him with pleading eyes full of unshed tears. Damn, it was hard to hurt her when she looked at him like that, and the way she said his name like some sort of prayer was giving him flashbacks to other times she'd said it that way. Her eyes and body language offered a closeness he'd been aching to find again, making it hard to stick to his guns.

He was saved from having to respond by the sound of the guild doors slamming into the walls, followed by shouted greetings announcing the arrival of Fairy Tail's rowdiest team. Erza strolled in first, looking like a warrior maiden on a mission to find the nearest strawberry cake and devour it. She was followed by Gray, who immediately looked around the guild for his stalker. Somehow he failed to notice she was hiding behind a pillar nearby waiting for him to inevitably fling a piece of clothing away. Happy flew in just ahead of Natsu, who was carrying a very bubbly blonde on his back who shouted, "Hey! We're back!"

Before Lucy had even fully climbed down from Natsu's back, he was off and running yelling, "Where the hell is Laxus? He said he'd fight me when I got back!"

The blonde stumbled and laughed as she fell on her butt when her partner took off. She couldn't be mad at Natsu for his childish enthusiasm; it was one of the things she loved about her best friend. Lucy stood up and righted her clothing before making her way over to the bar and ordering a smoothie.

While she waited, Lucy turned around to wave at Gajeel with a big smile, and then seemed to notice Levy, so waved to her as well. He kind of doubted she had waved at him specifically. She must have been waving at Shrimp. Apparently, Levy thought the same because she waved back without hesitation. Shrimp didn't have his eyesight, though. He could see exactly who Lucy had been looking at, which was making it pretty hard to convince himself he hadn't seen what he did.

His suspicion was confirmed as the busty woman made her way over to his table with barely contained excitement. "Gajeel! You're never going to believe what I brought back for you from our mission!"

Her exclamation confused the dark haired man. Why the hell had she thought of him while on her mission? And why the hell did she bring something back for him? Levy must have been sharing his thoughts because when he didn't speak up she asked, "What is it?"

"Iron!" The grin on Lucy's face couldn't have gotten any bigger. Its glow was about equal to Gajeel's look of confusion.

"Ok. Ya gonna give it to me?"

Suddenly doubting whether or not this was a good idea, Lucy's excitement dimmed and she looked a little embarrassed. "Well, I could but it's kind of big. It's also pretty heavy, so I doubt you'd want to tote it around. I seriously doubt you could even eat it all right now."

The slayer nodded his head, waiting for the odd woman to go on. She was being kind of annoying, but the promise of iron had him interested. He could hear her mumbling under her breath while she stared at the floor and tapped her lips with a finger, though she was being pretty quiet. Shrimp probably couldn't make out what she was saying.

"I could ask Virgo to bring it out here but it's pretty heavy and I'd feel bad if I asked her to bring it out twice. I know they're both pretty strong, but I doubt she would want to do that and Gajeel probably wouldn't want to carry it all the way to his house."

Tired of waiting for her to make a decision and getting a little impatient to see this mysterious piece of iron, Gajeel stood up from his seat and started walking as he said, "Well, come on Bunny Girl. You can just summon your spirit at my house."

Levy watched the two of them leave, not missing how excited Lucy was to go with Gajeel or how carefree he'd been about inviting her over. Were they an item now? In all their time together, he'd never invited Levy to his house. She knew it was his safe haven and he rarely showed anyone where he lived. So, why did he invite Lucy? Levy didn't know the answer to that question, but she wasn't going to just sit back and watch Lucy sneak in and take Gajeel from her. He may have called things off between them but she knew he still cared. She wasn't ready to let a good thing go without a fight.

It didn't take long for the duo to get to Gajeel's house on the outside of town. He lived in the most adorable little cottage she'd ever seen, complete with small porch, white shutters and a flower bed. "Oh my stars, Gajeel! Your house is so cute!"

"Don't ever say that shit again. Nothing I own is cute." The slayer spat the last word like it tasted bad on his tongue, which made Lucy laugh. Her laughter made him turn his glare on her.

Lucy reached over to poke him between the eyebrows and teased him saying, "You're wrong about that. Even your scowl is cute."

The irritated man rolled his eyes at her but let her follow him into his house, reminding himself there was free iron involved. When they made it inside, he could just feel Bunny Girl building up to say something about his handmade furniture. "Don't you dare call any of this cute. I'll have to destroy it all."

Lucy's grin gave her away. That was exactly what she'd planned to do, but she didn't want to push his buttons. Just as she was about to summon Virgo, she noticed a guitar on the wall and momentarily forgot about her reason for coming. "Is that the limited edition Mashima Telecaster?!"

Gajeel turned to look at the guitar, shocked that she knew what it was until he remembered she probably played. "Uh, yeah. I got it after moving in here. You wanna see it?"

Eyes wide with wonder, Lucy nodded and walked across the room to stare at the amazing instrument. When he handed it to her, the blonde pulled the guitar against her body and strummed a few chords then whispered, "Beautiful."

Gajeel couldn't agree more, though he wasn't looking at the guitar.

"What edition is it?"

"It's a second edition but was supposedly played by Mashima himself. I don't know if that shit's true or not, but it's a nice guitar. Nicest I've ever owned."

Lucy handed it back to him as she said, "It's way nicer than the one I have now. I had a first edition Telecaster before I left home, but all of that is gone now."

He placed the instrument back in its resting place and said, "You gotta show me what you can play later, but first I wanna know what you brought me."

Reminded of the reason she'd come, Lucy pulled out Virgo's key and summoned her trusty friend.

The crazy maid showed up dressed very differently than usual. Instead of her maid uniform, she was wearing the armor Lucy had commandeered. Her pink hair barely peaked beneath the horned helmet and her eyes were barely visible beneath the part that should have rested against her forehead. The chest plate seemed to swallow her up and the arm guards were clearly too long for her short arms.

"I didn't think you'd actually put it on, Virgo." Lucy said in disbelief. "Wait, did you polish it?"

Virgo nodded, "It's actually very fashionable in the Celestial World. Would you like to punish me for wearing it?"

"Uh, no thanks. So, Gajeel, this is it. Our mission was to stop a bandit from robbing people traveling through a forest. The guy wore this. He was pretty slow with it on and couldn't keep up with our attacks, but it probably worked well for terrifying civilians."

Gajeel didn't say anything in response, too caught up in how thoughtful this gift was. He couldn't remember anyone ever giving him something like this. Sure, Levy had given him a gift on his birthday but it had just been a nice bottle of whiskey. This was something he could use, whether he would eat it or wear it he hadn't decided. From the smell alone, he could tell this was high quality metal.

Misunderstanding his silence, Lucy said, "If you don't like it, I'll just let Virgo-"

"No. I want it."

Bunny Girl beamed at him in the way that did strange things to him and turned to Virgo. "Thanks for bringing it Virgo. Do you need help getting out of it?"

"I can manage, Princess."

Gajeel noticed the subtle shift in the spirit's tone and body language. He thought she'd been wearing the armor as a joke, but it seemed like she really wanted it. Looking at it closer now, the slayer could tell she'd actually polished the metal well, making it gleam the way armor should. He couldn't bring himself take this from her, even if it was meant for him. There was other iron out there and he could always get some armor made custom to fit his body if he really wanted some.

When the maid pulled off the helmet and tried to hand it to Gajeel, he pushed it back towards her and said, "You can keep it."

Virgo sucked in a breath, shocked by the man's generosity. She looked at her owner to see if she would allow the gift. Lucy smiled sweetly at them, nodding her head. The pink haired spirit was elated as she put the helmet back on her head. "If you'll allow it, Princess, I'd like to get something from my home and bring it back to your kind friend."

"Go ahead, Virgo." Lucy was curious what she could possibly bring back that would interest Gajeel. When Virgo returned a few seconds later, she was carrying a large pile of metal bars.

"This is iron from the Celestial World. The high amount of carbon in the air there makes it strong but too brittle to be used for many things. It is my gift to you in exchange for your kindness." The maid passed the load off to the wide eyed slayer, glad to see how excited he looked about it. With a mischievous look, she asked him, "Would you like to spank me?"

"Virgo!" Lucy exclaimed while forcing the spirit's gate closed. Her friend could be as perverted as Loke sometimes. "Sorry about that last bit."

"Don't worry about it." He murmured, still a little awestruck at the events that had played out since arriving at his house. The iron slayer carried the metal over to the side of the room where it would be out the way until he decided what to do with it, and then picked up a piece to taste. Its flavor was familiar, but different. Definitely pure stuff. After crunching on just a few bites, he could already feel the jump in his power level. This would be great just before a fight.

When the loud sounds coming from Gajeel's mouth died down, Lucy asked, "So, you like it? You don't mind not keeping the armor?"

Remembering he wasn't alone in his house, he turned back to face Bunny Girl and said, "Nah. It was cool and all but she really wanted it. This is better iron, anyway."

It was a strange thought for Gajeel, but he realized he didn't want her to leave. He never wanted anyone in his house, hardly anyone even knew where he lived, but he liked having Bunny Girl here in his living room. "Do you want to watch a movie or somethin'? Pantherlily should be here soon with some food. He always gets way too much. You could hang out, but only if you want to."

"Yeah, that'd be great!" The blonde looked towards Gajeel's TV and noticed a movie already sitting out. "But we aren't watching the Sound of Music. I don't see how you watched it again so soon."

"Don't hate on a classic. You don't have to worry about watching it because I finished it before we left on a mission a few days ago. Couldn't leave it unfinished after starting it at your place."

Lucy laughed at her dark haired friend while she perused his movie selection. After picking one and starting it, she got comfortable on his couch. He sat down too, not close enough to touch but also not so far away that it was weird. They sat that way until Pantherlily got there with two large bags of take out.

The exceed had been surprised to see Lucy there but it hadn't been an unwelcome shock. He didn't know the blonde well but knew enough to know he liked her. As Gajeel said, he had indeed bought too much food and had enough extra to feed a third person. The three of them ate, talked, laughed, and watched movies late into the night until Lucy fell asleep on the couch. Not wanting his Bunny Girl to get cold, Gajeel covered her with a throw blanket before heading to his room for the night. He hadn't gotten her to play anything for him, so maybe he'd get out his guitar in the morning and ask her to.

He didn't notice Pantherlily observing the whole thing, and definitely didn't see the gentle smile on the exceed's scarred face. Pantherlily had been worried about Gajeel over the past few months. He'd watched Gajeel's self destructive behavior become nearly out of control after his relationship went bad with Levy. The exceed didn't hold a grudge towards the blue haired woman, though. Matters of the heart were rarely ever simple things. Nothing could be done about the past, so he was glad to see his normally difficult friend allowing someone else to get close to him. He wasn't yet sure if there was something romantic developing between the Celesatial Mage and his partner, but he was glad to at least see a friendship forming.

Pounding on the front door woke Gajeel with a start. A frightened squeal coming from his living room reminded the slayer Lucy had slept on the couch. His irritation grew when he heard his front door slam into the wall, meaning the idiot stomping into his house seemed to take her noise as an invitation to enter. Gajeel stalked out into the front room, ready to punch the flaming idiot in the face for waking him up like this.

The scene he walked into had the slayer wondering if Natsu would even have a face left to punch once Bunny Girl was done with him. The other slayer had Lucy tossed over his shoulder, but she wasn't going with him without a fight. Her legs were kicking in the air and she had one fist full of pink hair while the other was pounding at his back. "What the hell is your problem, Natsu?! Put me down!"

"No! I went to your apartment this morning to get breakfast and you weren't there. I followed your scent and found you here! With the metal head! Why are you with him? Are you making him breakfast now, too?"

All the fight in her died when Lucy heard the last question. She hung there limply, unable to believe Natsu was so stupid. "Seriously, Natsu? You find me sleeping at another man's house early in the morning and you assume I stayed over just to make him breakfast?"

Figuring his partner was done fighting him, the fire slayer put her down and said, "Well, yeah. Your omelets are awesome! Why wouldn't he want some, too?"

"Fuckin' moron" Gajeel muttered and turned around to go into his kitchen. It was too early for this shit, but now that he was up, he was hungry.

Lucy sighed, accepting her fate as Natsu's partner and the inevitable responsibility of explaining the birds and the bees to him. Again. Apparently, their last conversation hadn't been clear enough. It wasn't like she and Gajeel had done anything, but she couldn't let her best friend go barging in on people like this. "Let me just say bye to Gajeel and then we can go eat at my apartment."

"Yosh!" Natsu exclaimed with a fist pump as he ran out the door.

"Hey, I'm-" The words died in her throat when Lucy turned the corner to enter Gajeel's kitchen. The iron slayer was standing there shirtless, dressed in only baggy shorts, with a glass of orange juice tipped back in a long drink. As he swallowed it down, Lucy couldn't help but drink in the sight of his muscular body on display before her. How had she never noticed how hot he was? Sure, she'd seen his muscular arms, everyone had, but this was different. His body was on full display, not to mention he looked so relaxed here in his home, and just so delicious. When he set the glass down on the counter and turned to look at her, Lucy blushed deeply, knowing she'd been caught red handed.

"You were saying somethin'?" Gajeel asked with a smirk. He'd never seen Bunny Girl so flustered before but he liked it, especially since he'd caused it. He hadn't meant to walk out without a shirt, but he couldn't find it in him to regret it now.

"Oh yeah," Lucy shook her head and took a deep breath to clear her head. "I was just going to apologize for my idiot partner and tell you we're leaving for a job that will take a few days. Gray and Natsu destroyed too much on the last one for us to have time off and still afford to eat. I'll have to show you my guitar skills when I get back."

Glad she'd thought of the same thing he had the night before, Gajeel smiled and said, "Alright. See you when you get back then.

Lucy made her way out of Gajeel's house and in the direction of her apartment in a bit of a haze. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts of the dark haired man. She felt a little bad for the way she was starting to feel about Gajeel, but she'd learned a long time ago that feelings weren't something that could be controlled. There was no way she'd pursue anything with him if he was still with Levy, though the blonde wasn't really clear on what their relationship was anymore. With the exception of the day before, she hadn't seen the pair together much lately. Levy hadn't even been spending much time hanging out with Lucy and their group of friends like she used to. Her blue haired friend was usually out on a job or doing things with her teammates when she wasn't in her home library. Shaking off the depressing line of thought, the blonde picked up her pace to get home faster so she could feed her hungry partner and get packed for another mission.


	3. Chapter 3

**There were some issues with the chapter two update yesterday, so if you haven't read it yet, don't forget to! This will probably be the last update until next week. I'm just about out of prewritten material and work has gotten busy. The woes of adulthood... You might get lucky and see something on Friday but don't hold out hope.**

 **Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, followed, and favorited!**

Lucy trudged slowly along the ledge of the canal, too tired to even summon Plue as a walking companion. Not that she had enough magic left to do that, anyway. It briefly occurred to her that walking along the ledge was probably a terrible idea, but she quickly dismissed the thought in favor of mentally pitying her current state. Their job had been exhausting but she was proud of herself. She and her spirits had held off viscous, magical beasts summoned by a dark mage while her teammates took care of their summoner. It had been a fight down to the last second, but they'd pulled it off. Team Natsu even managed to keep from destroying anything, so they had plenty of reward money to go around.

The blonde was beginning to regret her decision to go home while her teammates relaxed at the guild before parting ways. She'd just wanted to get home and go to sleep but she was starting to get dizzy. A second too late, she realized she'd started walking in a crooked line and slipped off the side of the canal. She managed to grab onto the edge but her body slammed into the stone with enough force to rattle her teeth. Using the last bit of strength she had, Lucy pulled herself up onto the low wall and lay flat, glad to have not fallen in. She reached down to pat her keys in reassurance, only to realize they were missing.

Panicked, she sat up quickly and looked down at her belt. There, where her key ring should have hung, was only a broken clasp. The piece her key ring hooked onto must have gotten smashed when she crashed into the side of the canal. The terror she felt only escalated as she leaned over the side of the wall to look down into the darkening waters. With the sun nearly set, there was no way she could dive in and find her keys. Not to mention she hardly had the strength to stand steadily.

The Celestial Mage covered her mouth to contain the wail building in her throat. She couldn't lose her keys. They were her only link to her dearest friends. Without enough magic to support them, not even her spirits strong enough to open their own gates could pull off the task. Tears flooded from her eyes as she stared into the dark depths concealing her most valued possessions.

Lucy made up her mind quickly. She wasn't leaving that spot. She'd sit there all night if she had to. As soon as her strength was up, she would dive in and search for her keys. Her resolve didn't stop her from shedding a few guilt-ridden tears, though. The blonde felt horrible for losing her keys like this, not to mention terrified of what Aquarius would do next time she was summoned.

"What are ya doin' sittin' there cryin'?" A familiar, gruff voice asked from down the street.

"Gajeel!" Lucy perked up at the man's arrival thinking maybe he could help her.

The dragon slayer tried to ignore how it felt to have her so excited to see him and focused on figuring out what could be causing her to stare down into the canal while crying. When he neared the clearly exhausted woman, he asked, "Ya gonna me why you're sittin' here cryin' and not at home sleepin'?"

His question made Lucy's lip start to tremble as she looked back at the canal and thought about her friends being trapped under the water. She knew that wasn't really true, they were all safe in the Celestial World, but she couldn't keep the image out of her head. "I almost fell into the canal while walking home. I was able to pull myself back up but my keys fell into the water."

"That's it?" He asked in disbelief. Jumping in and getting them out didn't sound like it would be hard.

"What do you mean that's it?!" The blonde whirled around and snapped at him. "They're my friends and I just lost my only connection to them! My magic is almost gone after the ridiculous mission we just got back from and I hardly have the energy to walk, let alone go diving in deep water. If I drown myself, I'll never get them back. So I'm waiting here until my magic strengthens enough for one of them to open their gate on their own or I can dive in to search myself."

"No need to get all pissy. I can just get them out for you."

"Really?" She asked in a tone full of adoration. Lucy's emotional one-eighty confused the man, but he let it go, assuming she wasn't in her right mind from exhaustion.

He shrugged and said, "Yeah, I'm better than a fuckin' metal detector. I already know exactly where they are." The dark haired man started taking off his shirt, then boots and pants, completely uncaring of stripping in public. The now blushing woman tried not to ogle him too much and wondered if he'd learned a thing or two from Gray with how quickly he got down to just boxers.

Less than a minute after diving in, the dragon slayer was hoisting his body up onto the canal wall and climbing over the side. He shoved the keys in Lucy's direction and said, "Here ya go. Now turn around unless you want an eyeful of my ass."

Blushing again, the blonde squealed and hugged her keys to her chest while facing away from her savior. "Thank you so much! I'm so happy I could just kiss you!"

Gajeel laughed in his odd way as he pulled on his clothes. "Maybe some other time. Right now you need to get home and rest. Magic exhaustion isn't somethin' to fuck around with."

When he was fully dress, Gajeel tapped Lucy's shoulder and said, "Come on. I'll walk you home to make sure you don't get lost or some crazy shit like that."

"Thanks," she said sheepishly. "I can't believe the clasp on my belt broke so easily."

As they walked, he stuck out his hand and said, "Lemme see it."

Lucy managed to get the belt off, though she almost tripped over her own feet twice before she removed it. When she handed the accessory to him, Gajeel said, "Well, it's flimsy stuff. No wonder it broke so easy."

The Iron Dragon Slayer proceeded to rip the weak metal off her belt and fling it into the canal – he didn't want to eat that shitty stuff –, then create a replacement clasp using his own magic. "There. Now give me the keys and I'll make a new ring for them."

When his task was complete, he tugged on the new clasp and ring set to test its strength and make sure it wouldn't fall off the leather belt too easily, then handed it back to the blonde. She stared at it in awe, touching the metal still warm from its creation. "Thank you so much. Really, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

"Probably cried yourself to sleep layin' there on the canal wall."

Lucy cracked a smile at that and said, "You're probably right."

When they made it to Lucy's apartment, she struggled for several seconds trying but failing to get the key into the lock before Gajeel huffed impatiently and snatched it away from her. "Let me do it." Once the door was open, he stepped inside and said, "Come on. I'm comin' in to make sure you make it to the bed and don't accidentally drown yourself in a cup or somethin'."

As they both removed their shoes by the doors, he asked, "You eat today?"

Lucy paused a little too long for Gajeel's liking as she thought over the answer to that question. "Well, I ate some fruit for breakfast. We were out on the mission during lunch and I just haven't felt hungry since then with all the stress of fighting."

"No wonder your magic ain't replenished itself. It ain't just us slayers that have to eat to fuel our magic. Your body needs energy, too." The annoyed slayer scolded her for behaving so neglectfully. How could someone forget they hadn't eaten all day and allow their body to become so dangerously drained?

Already somewhat knowing his way around her kitchen after the day he helped her make tea, Gajeel felt confident enough to help her out. "You stink. Go shower and do whatever the hell else you do before goin' to sleep and I'll fix you somethin' to eat."

The dark haired man leaned into her refrigerator to take stock of its contents but looked up again when he realized she hadn't walked away. "What?"

Suddenly nervous, Lucy toyed with her skirt and bit her lip as she considered how to broach the subject she'd been wondering about lately. Too tired to attempt being tactful, she just blurted out her thoughts. "What about Levy? Won't she be upset that you're here?"

"Why the fuck would I care what she thinks about where I'm at?" Gajeel answered but then paused in his easy dismissal of her question when he realized what Lucy was really asking. Maybe she and Levy didn't talk about as much as they used to. He shot a glance at the blonde and added, "That ended awhile ago."

"Oh, I didn't know." Though Lucy dipped her head and turned to walk away, Gajeel didn't miss the small upturn of her lips, leaving him wondering why the hell she'd be happy about that.

In less time than he expected, Lucy finished her shower and returned to the kitchen. He'd only made her a ham sandwich and some tea since there hadn't been much in her fridge. Salamander had probably eaten up everything in it.

"That smells good. You even grilled it! I love grilled ham and cheese." Abandoning all the manners she'd been forced to learn during her childhood, the starved woman finished off the sandwich in fewer bites than Gajeel thought she'd be capable of. When she finished, Lucy leaned against the counter next to him and sipped the rest of her tea. "You were right. I feel better already."

"Course I was right." He answered with a smirk that earned an eye roll from the blonde. "Now come on. You finished your tea."

"You're even tucking me in?" She asked teasingly as she followed him to her room.

"Well, I did say I wanted to make sure you made it to bed without dyin' in some tragic accident."

"Aren't you just sweet? My own personal knight in shiny, iron armor." Lucy laughed at her own little joke as she crawled under the blanket and curled up on her side, missing the way Gajeel blushed at her comment. When he moved as if to leave the room, the blonde grabbed his hand and whispered, "Don't leave yet."

Sensing the sudden uneasiness in Lucy, Gajeel nodded and sat down on the floor next to her bed, letting her keep holding onto his hand like it was a lifeline as he got comfortable leaning back against the nightstand. He turned to look at her, wondering what could possibly make her anxious all of a sudden. It didn't take long for her to start speaking. "I'm always terrified of dying when my magic gets low. I know it's really unlikely, even if it is possible, but I've had the fear since I was little. After my mother died, my father hated when I used my magic. I guess it reminded him too much of her. Feeling closer to her was exactly why I used it, though. I'd keep Aquarius or Cancer out as long as possible."

She stopped speaking for a moment and closed her eyes. The painful memories and exhaustion were taking a toll on her, making it hard to finish the story. Lucy was determined to explain this to Gajeel, though she didn't know why it mattered to her so much. Maybe she just didn't want him to see her so vulnerable without reason.

"The first time I collapsed from magic exhaustion, my father ordered all the servants not to help me. I had to get back to my room on my own. I think he assumed it would scare me out of summoning my friends again, but it didn't. I just kept pushing my limit so I could get stronger and keep them with me longer. The worst it ever got was when I'd kept Cancer with me for nearly 6 hours straight, ignoring the strain on my body until I passed out. When I woke up, nearly an entire day had passed and I was still lying on the floor in the library completely alone." A tear slipped down her cheek at the memory, a ghost of loneliness creeping into her chest at the memory of how she'd felt after waking up that day. "I was only 9 years old."

Gajeel didn't say anything but squeezed her hand in comfort. He'd learned some things about her past after Phantom Lord's failed abduction attempt but had never heard anything like this. The man had assumed her struggles were only related to the way her father controlled her life. He never knew she'd suffered from being so blatantly neglected. Maybe there was more to Bunny Girl than he'd always thought.

He sat there listening to the blonde breathe as she fell asleep completely. He didn't understand the impulse, but he didn't want to leave her side. Not yet. Maybe it was because she'd just opened up to him without any prompting, revealing such an intimate weakness without fearing what he'd do with the knowledge. She had no reason to trust him and it wasn't like they were close friends, but she still viewed him as some sort of savior. The realization did strange things to the slayer emotionally, things he wanted to ignore. He wasn't ready for something like that.

A shimmer of golden sparkles and a shift in the air drew him from his thoughts. Lucy's freaky pink haired maid, whose name Gajeel couldn't remember, appeared with a bundle in her arms and bowed to him as she spoke, "Thank you for staying with our Princess. Her magic is replenishing quickly now that she has eaten and is resting."

When he nodded, the spirit stood upright and extended the bundle in her arms to Gajeel as she added, "I've brought you a change of clothes, toothbrush and iron. Please accept this as our gratitude for caring for our Princess."

"Uh, thanks." He untangled his fingers from Lucy's to stand and accept the items from the spirit. The iron smelled like the same high quality stuff she'd brought to him last time.

When Gajeel looked back up, the spirit had the same mischievous look in her eyes she had when she asked him to spank her. Looking at Lucy, she sounded way too hopeful when she spoke, "Princess may punish me for telling you this, but she cares for you."

"What ya want me to do about that?" He asked, genuinely confused about why the spirit was telling him this.

"Nothing more than you already are." With another bow, the maid disappeared from sight, leaving the apartment quiet again.

Unsure of what to do now, Gajeel eyed the clothes from the spirit. What he had assumed was an entire outfit was really only a pair of weird looking pants made from a soft material. Had she forgotten the shirt? He shrugged it off, not really bothered by being shirtless. That's how he normally slept. At least he could sleep comfortably on Bunny Girl's couch. Well, as comfortable as anyone can on a couch. He didn't know if she'd be bothered by waking up to him being in her apartment but she'd been the one to ask him not to leave. This way, he'd know she was alright throughout the night and she wouldn't feel like she'd been abandoned again.

Decision made, the slayer went to her bathroom to change for the night. It occurred to him that anyone from the guild finding out she'd slept over at his place the night before she left on her job and now him sleeping over at hers the night she came back would get suspicious of them. While he didn't give two shits about what people thought, he wasn't sure how Bunny Girl felt about it. Would she be embarrassed by those sort of rumors going around? Gajeel didn't think she would, considering she hadn't cared that Natsu'd shown up while she'd been asleep on his couch, but figured he should find out.

It didn't take long for him to find extra blankets stored in the same closet she kept her guitar – which he had been tempted to touch but resisted – and quietly sneak back into her room to take one of the many extra pillows he'd seen piled on her bed. She wouldn't miss one if he took it.

Gajeel stretched out as much as he could and then covered himself with the blanket while doing his best to ignore how strongly it stunk of Salamander. He considered getting back up to switch it out for another but his mind was changed instantly when he laid his head against the pillow. Lucy's scent was all over it and puffed up around him when the weight of his head forced air from the fluffy cotton. It was relaxing to have her scent surround him like that. So much so that he was able to ignore the smell of Salamander and relax into a deep sleep.

Bright light woke the dragon slayer as the sun rose into the morning sky. He was surprised to realize he'd slept all night on the small couch. Listening to the quiet apartment told him Bunny Girl was still asleep, though he hadn't expected her to be awake. She'd been in pretty bad shape the night before. Now that he was thinking about it, her weakened condition could explain why she'd done strange things like smile at finding out he was unattached, call him her knight, and hold his hand while she fell asleep.

He cut off that trail of thought, unwilling to find out where it led, and got up to piss and find food. Plus, he was looking forward to eating that iron the freaky spirit brought him. Bunny Girl would probably be pissed if he ever asked, but he couldn't help wondering if she sometimes paddled the maid when no one was around. The spirit seemed like she was really into that sort of shit and he knew for a fact one of the books Bunny Girl wrote had some freaky scenes like that.

It didn't take him long to make a large stack of pancakes, though that was all they'd be eating. He'd been lucky to find enough milk and eggs for even that. He didn't understand how she could deal with the flaming idiot eating up everything she bought. It was common knowledge around the guild that Lucy fed her partner and his exceed regularly.

Soon after he'd finished his much larger portion of food, he heard Lucy start to wake up, much to his relief. He could finally eat his metal without feeling like an asshole for making a bunch of noise while she tried to sleep.

Lucy woke up to the familiar sound of someone in her kitchen and assumed the person was probably eating her food, though she thought it was Natsu. The blonde made her way into the bathroom to relieve herself and brush her teeth while trying not to be annoyed at her partner for eating the last of what she had left in the refrigerator. She swore he was a bottomless pit. Her morning routine was interrupted by a loud grinding noise. Irritated that Natsu was probably in the middle of destroying her garbage disposal again, the blonde stomped out into the kitchen with her toothbrush still in her mouth.

What she found was not at all what she expected. Somehow she'd completely forgotten Gajeel had been in her apartment the night before. There was no way she could forget now. Not with the way he was leaned so casually against her kitchen counter with his eyes closed while crunching down metal that looked like it was from the Celestial World. A long, slow look down and back up his body confirmed her suspicions. Those were definitely pants from the Celestial World; their clothes just looked different. That meant Virgo had brought him metal to eat and clothes to sleep in, though she'd forgotten the shirt. Lucy thought she might have to actually punish Virgo for that one. Or maybe reward her. The blonde couldn't decide between the two. With the way Gajeel's body looked half-bare in her kitchen, she was leaning more towards doing both and punishing the spirit as a reward.

Her eyes were focused on his abs, so she missed the moment his nostrils flared and his eyes shot open. "You can come get a feel, if ya want."

His words were way too close to the exact thought that had gone through her mind seconds ago for Lucy's comfort. She was embarrassed and turned on all at the same time. Well, she was until she inhaled to speak but instead choked on toothpaste. Gajeel laughed at the choking sounds coming from the blonde and then laughed harder when she gave him the finger as she took off running to the bathroom.

When she emerged from the bathroom again, he was still chuckling quietly. "Shut up, asshole. I could have died and you thought it was funny."

The grin on his face couldn't have gotten any bigger when he said, "Well, you should keep your mind outta the gutter. At least now I know you think I'm sexy."

Lucy stomped past the amused man grumbling, "Damn dragon slayers and their super noses." She ignored his continued laughter and started eating the pancakes he'd left out for her. "These are actually pretty good."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended by that." Gajeel muttered but his thoughts were still on the way Bunny Girl smelled when she became slightly aroused a few minutes earlier. It had been unexpected but now the dragon slayer was considering the possibilities. Would she be up for a no strings attached kinda thing? Was he even interested in something like that? He wasn't against casual sex but didn't think it'd be a good idea with Bunny Girl. His head was too tied up over her and he didn't know if he could keep it casual, but he also didn't think he wanted anything more than that. Really, it'd probably be best if he avoided her for awhile until his thoughts cleared up.

His comment went ignored as Lucy ate her breakfast. It was a nice surprise to wake up to find food prepared for her instead of having someone begging her to do it, or letting her know they'd already eaten everything. She wouldn't mind waking up to a shirtless Gajeel more often, either. But maybe next to her in the bed instead of standing in the kitchen. She'd been fighting off thoughts of the dark haired man for weeks, assuming he was in some sort of relationship with her friend. Now that she knew he wasn't? There was no reason for her not to get to know him a little better and see where things went.

As she rinsed her plate in the sink, Lucy remembered she still had to prove to him that she could play the guitar. "Do you need to leave soon? If not, maybe we could play something."

When he nodded, they both walked to the living room as Lucy added, "My guitar isn't much to brag about like the one you've got but it's well made and has a good sound."

Gajeel sat down while Lucy pulled out her guitar and then sat next to him on the couch. "So, I've actually wanted to get your opinion on something I've been working on. I keep getting stuck here."

The blonde went on to play something Gajeel had never heard before and had the new sound of something she was probably writing. Her fingers worked the instrument with practiced ease, showing the years she'd spent learning her way around the strings. She looked lost in the music, her expression loose and carefree. She didn't see the awestruck look on his face or the moment he realized he was a goner. He'd never be able to have something casual with Bunny Girl. It was going to be all or nothing for him and that was dangerous ground. He really needed to avoid her for awhile.

"So, this is where I keep getting stuck." Lucy played the last few bars again up to the point she wasn't sure how to proceed.

"Mind if I try somethin'?"

"Sure." Lucy answered hopefully as she handed over the guitar. She'd been stuck here for at least a week and couldn't seem to figure out how to make the music flow smoothly into the next chord progression. She was shocked when Gajeel started playing her song as if he'd taken the melody straight from her mind. He really only made minor changes, but it made all the difference when he continued into exactly what she would have played next. "Stars above! That's perfect. I knew you'd be able to help. Don't forget what you just played. I have to write that down."

Gajeel watched the blonde rush over to her writing desk and bounce around like the bunny he called her as she looked through drawers. "Got it!" With the notebook in hand, Lucy returned to her spot on the couch and flipped to the page where she'd written down the tabs for her song.

The pair spent the next several minutes going over ways to tweak the song to make it sound perfect. By the time they had it worked out, they'd passed the instrument back and forth several times to play different parts with slight variations to what Lucy had written originally.

"Where'd ya learn to play like that?" The dragon slayer asked as she put her guitar back in its hiding place.

"A Heartfilia heiress' training isn't complete without learning a minimum of two musical instruments." The blonde said in a low, mocking voice. Speaking normally, she explained, "My father chose the piano and violin for me because he felt they were proper instruments for a young woman. When I'd learned both well enough, he allowed me to choose one more. As you can tell, I picked the guitar. What about you?"

"Self taught, mostly. When I was younger, I heard a rock band and wanted to learn to play just like them. Eventually, I had enough money to buy my own guitar and a book on how to play."

Lucy had forgotten Gajeel was still shirtless until now that she was seated on the couch again without any distractions. He looked positively edible. She did her best not to openly check him out but knew he was onto her with the way he raised a single brow at her. A little thrill shot through her body when she realized he looked just as interested as she did.

Her chain of dirty thoughts was cut off when he stood up abruptly and walked towards the bathroom saying, "I should get to the guild. Lily's probably waitin' on me."

She sat frozen in place feeling more than a little confused as Gajeel changed into his own clothes. Had she misread the signals, assuming something was there that wasn't? She'd been so sure there was chemistry developing between them. Lucy was so baffled by his actions that when he returned ready to leave, she asked, "Did I do something?"

It took long enough for Gajeel to answer that she knew something about the situation moments ago had bothered him. "Nah. I'm supposed to meet up with Pantherlily this morning to go out on a job, so I'll see you around.

Lucy didn't need a dragon slayer's senses to know he'd made that up. She didn't make a big deal about it, though. She just waved and said goodbye. When the door closed behind him, the blonde let her head fall to the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling wondering what had gone wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait! I got pretty sick and then work was busy this week. Please ignore any ridiculous mistakes in this chapter because I forced it out quickly to get something to you this week. Enjoy the fluff n stuff going on in this chapter while it lasts... The real angst is coming.**

 **Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

Lucy's forehead connecting with the bar top made a thud loud enough to draw attention. Ignoring the stares coming her way, the blonde contemplated running away. If she left now, she could get to the other side of Fiore before the trains stopped for the night. With her partner's motion sickness making him hesitant to use any form of transportation, she may even be able to escape the country before he caught up to her. The thought led to a wonderful fantasy of a stress free life filled with time to write, soak in bubble baths and just be alone far, far away from the nightmare that was Team Natsu. Without losing all the reward money on job requests turned disastrous, maybe she could even save up enough money to buy a nice condo with a lovely view and spa style tub. She'd even splurge on one of those fancy mattresses since her fire-breathing partner wouldn't be anywhere near enough to burn it to ashes.

The sounds of a bar stool scraping across the floor next to her put an abrupt end to her day dreaming as someone joined her. She was clued into their identity when the fine hairs on her arm stood on end. Without turning to look, she mumbled, "Hey, Laxus."

"You looked like you could use some company." He said as he waved down Mira to order a beer.

Letting her head roll to lie against the counter so she could face one of her more sane friends, Lucy said, "I was contemplating fleeing the country but I might stay if you'll be around to keep the crazies away."

He snorted but didn't get a chance to answer before Mira chirped, "Oh my! Are you two running away together? That's so exciting!"

"No, Mira. Don't get any crazy ideas." Lucy hoped to cut off the she-devil's craziness but failed miserably. There were already hearts in her eyes as Mira dazedly set Laxus' beer in front of him and then gazed off into the distance, likely imaging weddings and babies.

With a groan, the blonde woman dropped her head into her hands and put more thought into running away from her crazy guild. Her team was driving her insane and she was already dealing with the emotional stress of the thing with Gajeel that wasn't really a thing. It had been days since she'd seen him. He'd disappeared after leaving her apartment the morning after the canal incident and she hadn't heard a word from him since. Knowing she might regret this but desperate for answers, Lucy looked up and asked, "Hey, Mira. Do you know if Gajeel is out on a job?"

"Why the hell you askin' about Metal Head?" Laxus asked suspiciously, cutting off Mira before she could answer. His protective instincts kicked into gear instantly with his fellow blonde asking about the dragon slayer. He'd noticed her dejected behavior lately but wouldn't have guessed it was related to the iron lover.

"Just curious." She answered with a shrug that did nothing to convince Laxus. He wouldn't push for answers in front of the crazy gossip queen, but he would get answers out of Lucy later.

With a bright smile that spoke to the craziness running through her mind, Mira told Lucy, "Actually, he left on a job three days ago. He and Pantherlily should be back tomorrow in time for Master's party. Is it Gajeel you're planning to flee the country with?"

Mira's ridiculous suggestion made Lucy blush even as she shook her head and denied the possibility. The blonde's wild imagination supplied images of she and Gajeel running away together, though this fantasy was much more romantically charged than the first. Judging by the barmaid's dreamy look, she seemed to be caught up in the same fantasy, which only added to Lucy's embarrassment. "I think I'll have a beer, too, Mira."

With a nod and a smile, Mira left and returned with Lucy's drink. She downed it much faster than she should have but the effects hit quickly that way. Exhaling in alcohol-induced relief, she dropped her head onto Laxus' shoulder and asked, "Got any room on the Thunder God Tribe for a temporary member?"

"I'm guessin' gramps still has Team Natsu on punishment?" He asked as he finished off the last of his mug and waved to Mira to get a refill for both of them.

Feeling little more than hopeless, she said, "Master said it's not a punishment but it feels like one. I think he's just trying to keep Natsu and Gray busy and out of the guildhall until the council stops by for Fairy Tail's probation inspection. Plus, this gives him an excuse to assign all the ridiculous, low paying job requests to clear out the board."

"Sounds pretty rough."

"You have no idea." The tortured blonde groaned as she sat upright to take a long drink of the beer Mira had just delivered. "Today's request was a simple one. We just had to clean the algae out of a fountain filled with fish. You know what those idiots did? Froze it. Then boiled it. All the fish died. Replacing them cost us three times the reward money offered for the job. We would have been better off letting Happy eat one of the fish instead of Gray freezing the water to keep him out of it and then Natsu heating it up to thaw it back out."

Laxus felt sorry for the poor woman next to him, he really did, but it was hard to contain his laughter. A small snort escaped him, which made Lucy laugh in turn and say, "It really is kind of funny, isn't it?"

"Very." He said fully laughing now. "I feel bad for you, though. I don't know how you do it on that team of yours."

As their laughter quieted, the man took a moment to really take in Lucy's appearance and realized there was really something bothering her. Her smile wasn't quite as bright as usual and her laughter sounded a little off. Some people might think it strange of him to notice, but Laxus felt responsible for taking care of his special people and the woman next to him fell into that category. Her easy acceptance of him and his team not only as guildmates but as friends had landed her a place in his heart. He would always look out for her in any way she needed it. "You gonna tell me what's really on your mind now that there's no one in earshot?"

Lucy looked up at her friend and then back at her nearly empty drink. She'd been hoping to fool Laxus into thinking she was fine beyond the frustrations caused by her team, but she should have known better. It was hard to deceive a dragon slayer, especially one as nosy as the one next to her. "Alright. But we're going to need more alcohol."

Several mugs and hours later, the two blondes were slumped over a table giggling – though, Laxus would never admit that's what he was doing – over Cana's wild story. The drunk was entertaining them with the tale of her latest tryst with Bacchus. It was a nice reprieve from the frustrating, angst ridden story Lucy had shared with Laxus while consuming more alcohol than she had in a long time. She hadn't realized how much pent up frustration she'd been carrying around over the mixed messages she'd been receiving from Gajeel. It had all tumbled out of her mouth like water bursting through a dam in a way she would probably regret after sobering up.

Lucy had curled herself into Laxus' side about halfway through the barrel Cana was sharing with them and pulled his coat around to cover her shoulders for more warmth. He didn't mind her nearness, Lucy was always affectionate, but had to focus on ignoring the whispers he could hear coming from the crazy she-demon about the possibility of babies. Lucy had never wanted anything more than his friendship and Laxus wasn't going to withhold that just because she didn't share his feelings, even if it hurt him a bit to find out she was developing more than just a little crush on another man. It had taken some self control to not track down the iron crusted idiot that had her so confused and beat some sense into him. What kind of fool would pass up the chance to be with Lucy? She was perfect in every way, not only physically but also mentally. There was so much more to her than a pretty smile and nice ass. Laxus planned to shock some sense into the man if he didn't make things right soon.

What none of the drunken mages seemed to notice was the calculating stare of a certain blue haired woman. She knew Lucy had never wanted Laxus but it was easy to doubt that with the way she was leaning into him, not to mention he seemed perfectly content with his arm around her waist. With so many other people in the guild witnessing the same spectacle as she, it wouldn't be hard to get someone to believe there was someone going on between the two. Levy knew it was wrong to think this way, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She'd been lonely since Jet cut things off completely after deciding to marry the woman he'd been on and off with. She missed Gajeel now more than ever. It was unlikely they'd get back to what they were before, but she at least wanted to have him around. His presence was comforting and had been reliable until Lucy came along. Now, he was always distracted by her and seemed to have a growing interest in the blonde. Guilt tried to claw its way into her heart over what she was considering doing but she shoved it away, determined to get back what she'd lost with Gajeel. He might never want to have something official with her, but they could at least have something. Before that could happen, she just had to get his attention off of Lucy and onto her.

Gajeel's shoulders slumped in relief as he finally made his way into his home. It had been four long days since leaving Magnolia with Pantherlily. The job had been fairly easy, just taking out a few Vulcans that were terrorizing a mountainside village, but it had drained him. Well, Lily's constant pestering had drained him.

His best friend was a good cat but damn annoying sometimes. He'd harassed Gajeel daily until the slayer finally broke down and talked to him about Lucy while using as few words as possible. His lack of detail didn't do anything to deter the exceed, though. If anything, it encouraged him. After catching the smallest whiff of interest on Gajeel's part, Pantherlily had pressed him to pursue a relationship with Lucy. He'd asked, "What are you so afraid of, Gajeel?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I ain't afraid." He wasn't going to admit it, but Lily was right. He was afraid of how badly things might go.

"It seems that way from my perspective. You know, she isn't like Levy." Stupid cat knew him too well. After what felt like an eternity of listening to the gray cat's rambling, Gajeel had agreed to at least spend some time with Bunny Girl and see where things went. It wouldn't be so bad. He liked her well enough to not feel like pounding her face every time she started talking like most of the other members of Fairy Tail.

As much as he wanted to stay home and relax for the evening, Gajeel knew that wouldn't happen. Before approving his job request, Mira had made it clear to him that his presence was expected for Master Makarov's surprise party. He might never admit it out loud, but the she-devil was someone he wouldn't want to piss off. She was on a different level of crazy from the others and he didn't want to know what it would be like to be on her bad side.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, the dark haired man was off again. Pantherlily was trying to hide his excitement about going to the guild but the exceed was practically vibrating in his spot on Gajeel's shoulder. The dragon slayer wasn't sure, but he thought it might have something to do with a certain white exceed that should be there. Despite Pantherlily's nagging at Gajeel to do something about Bunny Girl, he was just as bad with the way he danced around his attraction to Carla.

Loud music and the smell of alcohol greeted Gajeel before he'd even made it through the guild's doors. It was clear the party was in full swing, which was perfect in his opinion. Everyone should be distracted enough for him to slip in unnoticed and settle at his table in the back. Maybe he could even get Bunny Girl's attention and get her to join him.

His plan was foiled when he walked through the doors and was immediately knocked to the ground by two bodies crashing into him. As much as he'd been looking forward to seeing Bunny Girl again, this was not how he expected to do it, and definitely not with the flaming idiot tangled in his legs.

"What the hell are you two doin'?" He asked while kicking Salamander off his lap hard enough to send him flying across the guildhall and then removed Bunny Girl from his head. Having her shoulder blade digging into his cheek was not how Gajeel envisioned having his face buried in her.

A drunken giggle escaped Lucy as she sat up and turned to face the man that had consumed her thoughts. Forgotten was the intense wrestling match she and Natsu had been in with Gray and Juvia, replaced by the excitement she felt at seeing him. She flung herself into the surprised man's lap and hugged his neck as she squealed, "Gajeel! You're back! I've missed you."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. She loosened her hold but didn't drop her arms as she leaned back enough to smile up at him as she nodded. He couldn't contain his blush no matter how hard he tried to force the blood away from his face. It didn't help that several people had turned to stare at the two of them still sitting in the floor. He snarled at the crowd, "What the fuck are y'all lookin' at?"

When all the gawking bastards had turned around, Gajeel looked at the clearly inebriated woman in his lap. It was well known throughout the guild that Bunny Girl was a cuddly drunk but he'd never had her drunken attentions turned on him. Her scent and touch reignited the flame he'd barely managed to stamp out in the few days he spent away from her. It was unsettling but not completely unwelcome. He just had to get them moved away from the entrance.

Gajeel shifted so he could stand with his hands under Lucy's arms, pulling her up with him. She had been looking forward to seeing him, so didn't object when he grabbed her forearm and pulled her along behind him through the swarm of people that had come to celebrate the master's birthday. The world wobbled a little at the fast pace he was moving, making Lucy stumble a few times. They made it about half way to the back when her teammates jumped into their path.

"Iron Face! You can't go dragging Luce off! We still have to beat Gray and Juvia." Natsu exclaimed with a flaming fist raised in the air. Gajeel didn't know what the hell he was talking about but wasn't interested. The pink haired idiot smelled so strongly of Fireball Whiskey that Gajeel wondered if the guy had bathed in it. The ice-make mage didn't look as thrilled about the idea of continuing their battle but wasn't objecting, his competitive nature likely winning out against his aversion to being close to Juvia.

Before Gajeel could object, Lucy said, "We can play another round but only if Gajeel is my partner. You and Gray can be partners." As much as he wanted to just drag her away somewhere a little quieter, he couldn't do that now. Not after she'd set them up for a fight of some sort.

Natsu groaned but said, "Alright. But I get to be on top!"

"What?!" Gray shouted in protest. "No! I'm on top this time. No way am I holding your heavy ass on my shoulders!"

"What'd'ya say, Ice Prick? You callin' me fat? Maybe you're just too weak and don't wanna admit it." As they argued, neither man noticed Juvia withering away in a puddle of tears as she imagined the pair taking turns being on top in a very different situation.

Gajeel turned to look at his Bunny Girl, wondering what the hell she'd just roped him into. He wasn't going to back out, even if he wasn't sure what the game was. No way was he losing to Salamander. "How do we play?"

The slightly glassy look of intoxication in her eyes did not reassure the dark haired man this game would be a good idea. When she spoke, he realized she was as crazy as the rest of her team. "Ya know that pool game, chicken?"

"Yeah, but that requires a pool."

With a shrug, Lucy said, "Nah. This way is still fun. Falling to the hard ground gives you more incentive to win."

Gajeel didn't have much of a chance to think of all the reasons why it was a stupid idea as he knelt down for Lucy to climb onto his shoulders. He was glad she was thoughtful enough to pull his hair together and roll it up to avoid pulling it. All the thoughts running through his mind stopped when his hands rested against her smooth, creamy thighs to keep her steady as he stood up. His next inhalation had him thinking maybe this was an excellent idea. Her sweet scent was stronger with her center nearly pressed against the back of his neck. It wasn't the ideal way to get between her legs but it was a start.

The crazy battle went on for several minutes and got a little dirty before it ended. While Bunny Girl and Salamander fought it out on top, Gajeel and Gray kicked at each other's feet in an attempt to knock the other off balance. Gajeel was impressed with how ferocious the petite blonde was when she poked Natsu in the eye and then twisted his nipple while his eyes were shut, making him howl in pain. Not one to be out done, Natsu grinned evilly as he reached out with flaming fingers to return the favor. Before he could get ahold of Lucy's breast and burn away her top while torturing her nipple, an iron pole hit him directly in the chest, knocking both he and Gray over.

Lucy's cackled in delight when her teammates fell to the floor. She whooped in excitement at their victory, high fiving her lower half. "That was awesome! You're the best, Gajy."

Natsu untangled himself from Gray and jumped to his feet pointing and shouting, "Cheaters! We agreed not to use magic."

"Don't be a sore loser. You were using your fire first! And you were about to burn my top, pervert!" Lucy answered as she climbed down from Gajeel's shoulders.

"I want a rematch! Fight me, Metal Head!"

Gajeel waved him off while saying, "Eh, maybe later. I need a drink."

The dark haired man walked over to the bar to fill a mug from the keg someone had tapped and left sitting out for self-serve drinks. He was glad to see Lucy had done the same and was now following him to a table at the back. When they were both seated, she said, "This is my last drink for the night. I'm not getting shit faced two nights in a row."

"The party started a night early?"

"No. I just made the mistake of trying to keep up with Laxus and Cana last night. Those two can tolerate way more than I can. Honestly, I don't even know how I got home last night."

"Prolly the power plug. Everybody knows he's got the hots for you." Lucy rolled her eyes at his comment but didn't object. It was true, they both knew it. Gajeel hadn't missed the way Laxus watched the two of them together but he wouldn't make a big deal about it. He knew what it was like to want a woman that wanted someone else. If Laxus wasn't going to try to step in the middle of things, Gajeel wouldn't confront him about it.

The next couple of hours spent with Bunny Girl made Gajeel realize how much he'd been missing out on. She was fun and interesting, plus her confidence in speaking to him didn't disappear as she sobered up. It was strange to realize she held his attention in a way no woman ever had before. Not only was she a little wild, the earlier battle of chicken proved that, she was also caring. She asked him about his mission, but not just to find out if it had been a success. She wanted to know what it was like, how they'd taken down the Vulcans, what troubles they'd run into, and all other sorts of things that had Gajeel talking much more than he normally did.

It was while they were eating the birthday cake that he was reminded how dangerous she was. Mira had delivered two slices of cake on one plate with only one fork while eyeing the two of them in the creepy way she did with hearts in her eyes and a mind full of baby shower plans. Lucy thought the single fork was funny and turned down Gajeel's offer to make another one with his magic. Instead, she cut some off and lifted the bite sized piece to feed it to him. With a brow raised in suspicion, he opened his mouth hesitantly, expecting her to do something like pull the fork back and eat the cake instead of giving it to him. She shocked him by clumsily sticking it in his mouth, leaving behind a trail of frosting at the corner of his lips. With a devious smirk, she said, "Oops. Let me get that."

Lucy leaned forward, pressing her body against his, and licked the frosting from his lips. Surroundings forgotten, Gajeel turned his head enough to capture her lips with his own. With her lips already parted, he immediately deepened the kiss, tasting the frosting on her tongue. His need for her intensified when she arched against him and moaned quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear over the shouting going on around them.

The noise level brought the dragon slayer's attention back to his surroundings. Cana had seen the kiss and alerted the entire guild to their activities with her obnoxious cheering. Several mages were looking in their direction shouting obscenities. Gajeel pulled away from his Bunny Girl's sweet lips but was glad when she didn't lean back to put space between them. She seemed perfectly content with being close to him even with people watching. It was a nice change from what he'd been used to. No one had ever been proud to say they were his. The realization had his heart doing that strange fluttery thing again.

When everyone's attention was turned back to the horrible karaoke happening on stage, Lucy leaned over to whisper, "You wanna get out of here?"

He nodded and the two of them snuck out while their guildmates were distracted. Bunny Girl surprised him again when she wrapped her arms around his bicep, almost hugging it to her, and leaned her head against his shoulder while they walked. It was different but worked for him since he hated holding hands.

They walked along slowly with her leading the way. It was pretty clear she was headed to her apartment, though Gajeel wasn't sure if she planned to invite him inside. He wasn't even sure if he was ready for that. The sex wasn't an issue. He was sure Bunny Girl would be great in the sack. What he wasn't sure of was how far he wanted this to go between them. He'd told Lily he'd give them a chance but this was basically diving in head first.

The door to her apartment was in front of them before Gajeel had made any sort of decision in his head. Lucy unlocked the door, stepped inside and kicked off her shoes, expecting her companion to do the same. When his footsteps faltered, Lucy looked up to find him hesitantly closing the door as if he was suddenly unsure. It had been obvious how much he wanted her when they were in the guild, the tightening of his pants a testament to the fact, but now it was like a different person stood in her apartment. "What's the matter?"

"I just – ", his voice trailed off as he stared at his hand on the doorknob, wondering if he was making a mistake. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted her, but did he really want more?

Lucy sighed, realizing this was about a lot more than sex. His last relationship had gone bad. It was clear to everyone in Fairy Tail. She wasn't Levy, though. "How long are you going to make me wait while you decide what you want?"

Her question made his head snap up to stare at her in shock. How had she read his mind that way? She was getting to know him too well. The thought made him realize how stupid he was acting. Bunny Girl was perfect for him in so many ways. Why the hell was he making her wait? Decision made, he took two steps to stand directly in front of her and said, "I don't want you to have to wait at all."

Throwing caution to the wind, Lucy pulled his head down with both hands and smashed his lips to hers. The last few weeks of building tension between them seemed to erupt in that moment. He couldn't deny how badly he wanted her anymore, wasn't even trying at this point. His hands traveled over her, feeling the way her body dipped and curved. When his hands reached her hips, he pulled her body against his, pressing his arousal against her. Lucy gasped into his mouth and dropped her hands from where they were tangled in his hair to work the belt from his pants.

Gajeel broke away from her hungry mouth with a small chuckle and said, "Let's at least make it to the bed."

 **Sorry to all you dirty birds out there. I'm keeping this rated T :) They're finally moving forward. If only things were that easy. Can't wait to get the next one written and posted**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: It's been way too long since I updated this! I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to write this chapter and kept putting it off. I think I finally like this version. Enjoy the fluff n stuff while it lasts. The drama is coming soon...**

Being woken up by soft hairs tickling his face should have irritated Gajeel, but it didn't. Not when those hairs were connected to the head of his Bunny Girl. Waking up next to a woman was a new experience for him. He just wasn't a morning after kind of guy. Spending too much time with a woman after sex always led to expectations and conversations about defining the relationship, even if there was no relationship to define. Part of him expected there to be a strong urge to flee before she woke up, but the feeling just wasn't there. He was content to stay right where he was.

After just one night together, Lucy left him feeling like he might be ok with her having expectations.

Cuddling was also new for him but he liked it. Having her naked body pressed against his with her head on his chest and a leg tossed over his didn't terrify him like it should have. When he moved to get comfortable, she moved with him until they were both lying on their sides facing each other, though she was still asleep. It felt right to have her head resting against his arm while he held her close. He took the opportunity to do the creepy, stalker thing and stare at her while she slept. It's not like she'd ever know about it. He stared at her trying to make sense of how a person could be so naturally beautiful. Each of her features was well proportioned and wrapped up in nearly flawless skin. As his eyes traveled away from her face and further down her body, he noticed the marks he'd left on her breasts. There were several dark bruises where he'd sucked roughly on her pale skin. Looking at the temporary markings made the dragon soul in him restless, trying to drive him to a leave a more permanent mark. The feeling was foreign to him, having never felt the urge to mark a woman until that moment.

It was at some point during breakfast that he realized he was too far gone to turn back. He'd known it was a possibility in the beginning, but now there was no doubt in his mind. Bunny Girl was the type to bring out the all or nothing in him, and it looked like she'd be getting his 'all in' side.

Gajeel wondered what it'd be like to have her moving around his kitchen like this, humming quietly while she cooked breakfast for him. From his seat at her table, he had the perfect view of her round ass as she swayed her hips to a beat he couldn't hear. He definitely wouldn't mind seeing her in this outfit more often. He'd thought his favorite outfit of hers was the bunny costume, but he was wrong. It was this one – a pair of tiny, black panties and his shirt.

Unaware of her new lover's staring, Lucy turned around with two plates in hand and said, "Breakfast is ready!" Taking the few steps between the stove and table, she set them down as she asked, "Do you want some juice or coffee or anything?"

With a shrug, he answered, "Orange juice, if you've got it. If not, then coffee."

While she was grabbing glasses and pouring their juice, Gajeel took his first bite. It was the best fucking omelet he'd ever had. "Flame Brain was right."

"Hm?" Lucy made the noise around the rim of her glass as she took a drink while sitting down.

"This shit is good." Without putting much thought into his next words, he shoveled another bite into his mouth and said, "I might be here every day if you'll be cooking breakfast."

With a shy smile, Lucy said, "I wouldn't mind."

The tone in her voice made Gajeel think back over his last words, which brought a slight blush to his cheeks. He knew how he felt about her but didn't know if she felt the same way. He kind of thought she did, her own words meant she didn't mind having around more often, but thought he might be getting a little ahead of himself. Plus, it wasn't really something he felt like he could just ask about right then. A heavy conversation like that might ruin the atmosphere, so he didn't bring it up. They could work out whatever this was between them as they went.

Lost in his thoughts, Gajeel didn't realize what he was doing until Lucy's question snapped his attention back to her. "Did you just eat my fork?!"

Looking down at the half-eaten utensil, he grunted, "Yeah. So what?"

"So you better make me another one!" Lucy demanded, sounding half amused and half irritated. "That's one of my good forks. Natsu already melted half the set. I can't have you eating the other half."

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist." He let his magic flow as he created an exact replica of the fork he'd just eat. He really hadn't meant to eat her fork, and probably wouldn't have if his thoughts didn't have him feeling a little stressed out.

"Thanks!" She said as she inspected the replacement. With a teasing grin, she held out her own fork and said, "You can eat this one too, if you make me another."

Lucy snickered under her breath when Gajeel snatched the fork and shoved it in his mouth, creating a new one as he chewed. He rolled his eyes at her laughter and stood up as he said, "Let's get to the guild before Salamander barges in on us again."

Nodding, she said, "Just let me wash these real quick and then I'll get ready to go." When Lucy stood, she leaned over to stack both plates together and grab their empty glasses. Again oblivious to Gajeel's staring, she didn't notice the way his eyes took in her bent form or how his gaze followed her as she walked to the sink. It wasn't until she felt his arms wrap around her stomach that she realized she had his attention.

Leaning forward to press his body fully against hers, Gajeel ran his nose up the exposed line of her neck as he said, "Why don't you wait on washing those til I'm done with you."

Her protest died before leaving her lips when she felt one of his hands glide up from the curve in her waist to massage one of her breasts while the other hand dipped down to caress her through the fabric of her panties. She let her head fall back against his shoulder, giving his lips easier access to her sensitive neck. "Alright," Lucy moaned, "I can do the dishes later."

When the couple finally left Lucy's apartment to walk to the guildhall, they stayed in constant contact with Gajeel's arm over Lucy's shoulders while she hugged his waist. He'd never been the type for pansy shit like holding hands, but this wasn't so bad. He liked the way she hung onto him, completely unafraid of who might see them together. Just before they walked through the doors of the guild, Lucy pulled him to a stop and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I'm glad you stayed with me, Gajy."

A rare, genuine smile curved his lips as he pulled her fully into his arms and kissed her lightly before saying, "Me too, Bunny Girl."

They untwined their arms from each other and walked through the doors. Cana spotted them immediately from her spot at the bar and started cheering in a loud, drunken manner. "Hey, you two! So, you finally tapped that ass, Gajeel?"

The dragon slayer's response of, "Shut up, drunk" didn't hold its usual fire. As he walked to his table in the back, he really couldn't bring himself to be irritated with the alcoholic for announcing it to the guild that Lucy was taken. It'd save him the trouble of doing it.

Lucy rushed over to the bar to shut her friend up, knowing Cana would keep shouting things until Lucy spilled the details. The blonde looked around to see how many people were staring in their direction. Much to her horror, it was about half the guild. She angrily whispered, "Did you really have to shout it to the entire guild?!"

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that." Cana said loudly as she waived Mira down to order a drink for her innocent friend. The only way to get Lucy talking was with alcohol. "You know I need the details. First you have Laxus hanging on you and now you come struttin' through the door next to Gajeel glowing like a damn star and you expect me not to ask questions?"

Before the blushing blonde could answer, Mira popped up with a strawberry daiquiri in hand having already known what Cana would order for Lucy. "So, what's this I hear about you and Gajeel?"

The stars in Mira's eyes disturbed Lucy slightly. "Um, well, yeah we're kind of a thing. I think so, anyway." She turned her head to look in the dragon slayer's direction to see if he'd been paying attention. The little smirk on his face told her he'd definitely heard what she said and didn't seem to disagree.

Cana and Mira both noticed the exchange and started in on Lucy, questioning her for more details and making all sorts of suggestions Gajeel was trying not to think about. Yeah, he'd briefly thought about a future with Bunny Girl, but he wasn't ready for wedding plans or babies. The she-demon was just crazy.

While semi listening in on Lucy's conversation, Gajeel was doing his best to ignore the other chatter going on in the guild. It was becoming increasingly difficult as his Bunny Girl became the topic at more than a few tables. Apparently, Laxus and Lucy had become a hot topic in Fairy Tail's gossip and now Gajeel was added into the mix. He knew she'd hung out with the lightning slayer and the drunk, but what the hell happened that had the gossips going like this?

"Do you think she's sleeping with both of them?"

"I didn't think Lucy got around like that!"

"Would you really say no to sleeping with both of them?"

"There's no way she's sleeping with both of them. They're dragon slayers. They don't share." The last whisper was from Shrimp. He was grateful she cleared that up, but he could hear the bitterness in her tone.

"Then I bet she's sleeping with Laxus. He's so hot and powerful. Why would she pass that up?"

Annoyed with the whispering wenches, Gajeel stomped over to the request board. He needed to get out of the guild until these rumors passed. It might happen a little faster if he wasn't there. If the stupid women had paid more attention to the noisy conversation at the bar instead of being so wrapped up in their theories, they would have easily heard Bunny Girl say they were a thing. She hadn't been quiet enough for normal human ears to miss what she said.

It didn't take long for him to pick out a good job. It was simple and would take the rest of the day. He'd just be helping out a blacksmith on the other side of town, something he'd done a few times before. This would keep him busy and away from the gossips. He didn't like his business being out in the open. Spending hours around this would ruin the good mood he'd been in since waking up that morning.

Gajeel made his way over to the bar to get the request approved by Mira. When he stood next to Lucy's seat at the bar, she immediately leaned against his side and looked up at him with a smile. Her clear display of affection made him feel a little better, but it gave the gossips' conversation a new direction. At least now they were saying maybe she was sleeping with him. They'd find out soon enough. Nothing ever stayed quiet in Fairy Tail.

Lucy noticed the job request Gajeel laid on the bar as he waited for Mira to come over and approve it. She was a little disappointed they couldn't spend more time together, but she tried not to show it. He'd just gotten back from his last job that kept him gone for several days. "You leaving already?"

"Yeah," He grunted but tried to keep the frustration out of his voice. She hadn't done anything wrong. "Can't take the noise in here with all the pecking hens goin' a mile a minute spreadin' their gossip about you sleepin' with me and the lightning rod."

Lucy looked around and saw several heads turned in their direction, eyes dropping as soon as she made eye contact with them. With a sigh, she turned back to Gajeel and wrapped her arms around his midsection, pulling him against her as she said, "Aw, Gajy. Don't let them get to you. You're the only guy for me."

He couldn't keep the blush off his cheeks when she leaned up and kissed his cheek. The sappy shit wasn't for him, but he couldn't deny it made him feel better.

Still seated in her stool with her arms around Gajeel's waist, Lucy leaned her head against his arm and asked, "You'll be back tonight, right?"

With his strange laugh, Gajeel asked, "What? Ya sayin' you didn't get enough last night and this mornin'?"

Lucy waggled her eyebrows and she said, "I don't think I'll ever get enough of that."

Cana slapped the bar top and cackled wildly while Mira swooned at the idea of blonde haired, red eyed babies. She barely looked over Gajeel's job request as she approved it while mentally going through flower options for their wedding.

With the sexy smirk Lucy loved on his face, Gajeel told her he'd only be gone for a few hours and he'd stop by her place that night. Of course, Cana thought that sounded like a great idea and invited herself along. Gajeel laughed as he walked away, leaving Lucy to fend that off on her own.

From a few tables away, Levy witnessed the entire conversation with a growing sense of jealousy. How did Lucy always end up with everything? She was smart, beautiful, confident, loved by everyone and now sleeping with the guy Levy wanted. When the guilt she'd been struggling with tried to force its way to the forefront of her mind, she pushed it away, determined to ignore it until she could stop whatever was blossoming between her former lover and former best friend. If she had to deal with a little guilt to get what she wanted, then so be it.

Watching Gajeel leave had been a little disappointing for Lucy, but she reminded herself she'd see him again later. If everything went well, she'd be seeing a whole lot of him later. Noticing the perverted grin on her friend's face, Cana nudged Lucy's shoulder and asked, "So, whatcha thinkin' about?"

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Lucy asked in mock defeat, knowing this was the inevitable end to her withholding information.

Recognizing victory when she saw it, Cana leaned in and rubbed her hands together. Ignoring Lucy's question entirely, she excitedly said, "Oohh, this is gonna be good!"

A couple of hours later, the friends were still talking quietly and occasionally laughing loud enough to bring stares their way. Mira had abandoned her barmaid duties in favor of girl talk, leaving Lisanna and Kinana to cover for her. She'd been shipping Gajeel and Lucy for weeks and wasn't about to miss out on the juicy details of their first night together.

"Luce!" Natsu's excited shout ceased all conversation between the women, which he didn't seem to notice. While throwing a hot, heavy arm over her shoulder, he said, "Gramps finally cleared us to take real missions again! I picked one out for the team. It's an S Class with high pay to make up for time lost fighting. Plus, I'm sure you need the rent money."

"Don't I always?" She muttered with a huff. While shoving Natsu's arm off, she said, "Ok but I'm not leaving today. I want to hang out with Gajeel tonight before we leave."

Whining like a child, Natsu said, "Aw, Luce! I haven't fought a monster in weeks! He was at your apartment all night. Why can't you just see him when we get back?"

Lucy's argument died in her throat as she realized what Natsu just said. The air around the two of them seemed to thicken dangerously as she asked, "How do you know he was at my apartment all night?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He said with his hands raised as he backed away slowly. There was no way he'd admit he was going to crawl through her window when he noticed the two of them were in her bedroom doing way more than just talking. He may or may not have watched for a second before leaving. When the danger of Scary Lucy surfacing didn't pass immediately, Natsu kept taking small steps backward as he said,"But don't worry about it. We can just leave in the morning."

"Good." Lucy said with a nod, the dark aura around her fading into nothing.

It was late evening by the time Gajeel finished his job at the blacksmith's shop. The owner was getting up in years and needed help with the heavy lifting. He was always excited when Gajeel was the mage that showed up to help him out, since Gajeel could help out with more than just the physical labor. With this affinity for all things metal, he helped create whatever custom items the old man had gotten requests for. The work was tiring but enjoyable.

Gajeel was already knocking on Lucy's door when he realized he should have gone home first to clean himself up. He always got pretty dirty at the blacksmith's with all the soot flying around from the metal being forged in the fire that burned hot as hell. Not to mention he was sweaty. Well, whatever. Bunny Girl could just deal with it or spend the night without him.

As soon as the door opened, all thoughts of needing a shower came to a halt and his mind was filled with much dirtier things. The tiny, black dress clinging to Lucy's body was not the same outfit she'd been wearing earlier that day. And when did she put on those heels? Fuckin' hell, she looked hot with those tall shoes making her legs look even longer than they usually did. He'd love to just run his tongue all the way up to where they ended at her hips.

"Hey! I'm so glad you're finally here!" Lucy greeted him excitedly. She'd spent the last hour rushing to finish her last minute plans for a romantic night. It was worth the trouble to see the way he was looking at her now.

As he walked through the door, Gajeel asked, "You cook or somethin'? It smells good in here."

Lucy followed Gajeel to the table where she'd set out the dinner she picked up. "I didn't cook. I just ordered some food at one of my favorite restaurants."

It wasn't just food he smelled. There was also a fist sized nugget of the pure iron her maid spirit always brought him from her world. "Your freaky friend brought this?" He asked as he picked up the nugget and took a small bite. After using his magic all afternoon, he was hungry for more than just food.

When his crunching quieted down, Lucy answered, "Her name is Virgo, and yes, she brought that for 'her favorite dragon slayer'."

He rolled his eyes as he finished off the iron and watched his Bunny Girl flit around her kitchen like she was looking for something. When he finished chewing, he could hear her muttering to herself about something she couldn't find. He was about to ask what she was looking for but was distracted when she bent down to search under the countertop. The way her dress rode up just shy of exposing her panties kept him from stopping her search. Instead, he walked over to her and popped one of her barely covered ass cheeks. When she squeaked and shot upright, he pressed his body fully against hers like he'd been wanting to and ran his hands down her sides to feel her curves. He leaned in to nibble on her earlobe before whispering, "Need help with somethin'?"

Forgetting about the cork screw for a second, Lucy leaned back into Gajeel's embrace and moaned at the feeling of his hands on her body. "I'll be inviting you over for more meals if this happens every time we're in the kitchen together."

Gajeel chuckled and kissed Lucy's neck before stepping away from her to get his mind working again. Seemed like she had some sort of plan for the night and he was curious enough about it to hold off on sex, but only for a little while. "What were ya lookin' for?"

"The cork screw. I have a bottle of wine to go with dinner but can't get it open without the damn thing."

"Just give it here." He said as he used his magic to transform his index finger into a coil shape.

"You're a genius!" Lucy exclaimed as she grabbed the bottle from the freezer. Within seconds, Gajeel had twisted the bottle around until the cork came loose and handed the bottle back to Lucy.

As he walked back to the table to see what food she'd gotten, he asked, "Why'd you do all this, anyway?"

"Well, we haven't gone on a date and I didn't think you'd like going to a busy restaurant, so I decided we could have our first date here." She poured the wine into their glasses while she spoke, completely missing the dumbfounded look on Gajeel's face. He had been wondering all day if she felt the same way he did. He kind of thought so, but still hadn't asked. Did this mean she really wanted something more than just sex with him?

Gajeel brushed off the thoughts, choosing not to bring it up. It still didn't feel like the right time. A heavy conversation like that could wait for later. Right now, he was more interested in the three steaks he saw sitting on a serving platter and the mountain of mashed potatoes that smelled like the perfect balance of garlic and butter. Even the roasted asparagus looked better than the steamed shit Pantherlily liked to eat.

Lucy's laughed lightly when she noticed his hungry eyes on the food. "Go ahead. Two of those steaks are for you and probably about half of mine. I can't eat that much meat if I want to eat any of the other food."

The evening was going perfectly, in Lucy's opinion. She'd been a little nervous about her spur of the moment idea not working out, but Virgo and Cancer had helped her pull it off. Her spirits were the best. It had been worth the stress to open the door to see Gajeel standing on the other side. She'd barely been able to stop herself from melting where she stood when she opened the door and saw him looking like he'd been using his hands all day. She didn't know what it was about the working man look, but having him come home to her after a long day was doing something to her lady bits. This was something she could get used to.

Too few hours passed between the time they went to sleep and the moment Lucy's front door burst open with her pink haired partner shouting at her to wake up. When he entered her bedroom, his shouting turned into groans of disgust when he saw Gajeel's naked torso lying next to Lucy in her bed. "Gross!" Natsu shouted as he ducked beneath the pillow flying at his head. "Come on, Luce! We have to be at the train station in fifteen minutes or Erza will be mad."

Suddenly reminded of the job they'd be on today, Lucy sat up quickly and tumbled to the floor when her feet got tangled in the sheets. "Shit!" She shouted as she righted herself and pulled the blanket off the bed to cover her naked body. "Oh no,no,no,no! I haven't packed anything."

Watching his barely covered woman rush around the room would have been much more amusing if her perverted partner hadn't been there. Gajeel knew Natsu wasn't as clueless or innocent as he acted. He smelled like women way too often for that. Looking at the intruder, Gajeel let out a low growl and said, "Get the fuck out, Salamander. You can wait outside."

Natsu whined and mumbled, "Stupid rust bucket stealing my Luce", but didn't object to being kicked out.

With the apartment to themselves again, Gajeel got out of his Bunny Girl's comfortable bed and looked for the pants her spirit had brought for him. He really liked that pink haired weirdo. She'd been nice enough to bring him iron and another set of clean clothes so he could take a shower after dinner. Finding the pants on the floor at the foot of the bed, he pulled them on and stopped Lucy so he could hold her against him. He wasn't ready for her to leave him just yet.

Relaxing into his hold, Lucy laid her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his body as she said, "I completely forgot about the job my team's going on. There are a bunch of monsters terrorizing a town near a forest and we're supposed to take care of them. I didn't even look at the request to find out where we're going."

He hummed in acknowledgement but didn't say anything. He didn't like the idea of her going out and fighting without him around to protect her – a thought that made him a little uncomfortable. She'd been taking jobs like this since before they were a thing and had survived just fine. Why was he feeling so protective? Trying to ignore his own mind, Gajeel said, "Don't worry about it. Just come by my place when you get back if I'm not at the guild so I can see ya."

She looked up at him and gave him the smile that made his heart do that fluttery thing he was getting used to. After a quick kiss, she let him go and ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth while she summoned Virgo to pack the rest of her things.

They only spent a few more minutes together before Lucy was hugging him goodbye outside the door of her apartment and then walking away with her partner and his exceed. Gajeel tried to fight the feeling of dread growing in his gut, but he couldn't shake it. He didn't know what was causing it, either. Their night together had been great, not just the mind blowing sex, but also just being around his Bunny Girl. She was everything he could want in a woman. Something wasn't right, though. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to be on alert for danger. When she disappeared from sight and the feeling worsened, he knew something bad was coming.

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


End file.
